1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network image forming system including a server computer (hereinafter simply referred to as a “server”), an image forming apparatus and a client computer (hereinafter simply referred to as a “client”), in which the image forming apparatus forms an image based on image data stored in the server.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a company or an office (hereinafter referred to as a “company”), generally, a client computer (an information processing apparatus, a personal computer (PC) or the like) is allocated to an individual, and each client is connected to LAN (Local Area Network). Generally, the LAN is connected to the Internet. Therefore, individual in the company can use resources on the Internet using a browser or e-mail.
Image forming apparatuses having printing function (printer function) are often connected to the LAN. Such an image forming apparatus is shared in the company through the LAN. A user using a PC connected to the LAN in the company may transmit electronic data (print data) such as a word-processor document or spreadsheet document (hereinafter referred to as “word-processor document”) through the LAN to the image forming apparatus, to have the document printed.
One of such image forming apparatuses is an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral). MFP has a plurality of operational modes, including copy mode, image communication mode, network-supported printer mode and scanner mode. Recently, most of the image forming apparatuses are MFPs. In the following, description will be given using an MFP as a representative image forming apparatus.
Conventionally, a network image forming system referred to as “pull-print” system for improving user convenience in a network environment including an MFP such as described above, a client (information terminal) and a server (information processing apparatus) has been known. In the pull-print system, a print job or print jobs are registered in advance by a client with the server. A print job registered with the server is selected through an operation panel of the MFP and the print job is downloaded from the server to the MFP. Based on the downloaded print job, MFP forms an image on a sheet of recording paper.
In the pull-print system as such, one MFP is shared by a number of users. Therefore, it is not uncommon that, when a user comes to an MFP for pull-printing, another person is using the operation panel. In such a situation, the user must wait until the previous user ends his/her operation. The print time for pull-printing involves the time of downloading PDL (Page Description Language) data from the server to the MFP, the time for converting the PDL data to developed data (RIP (Raster Image Processing) data), and the actual printing time. Here, the RIP data refers to data that is about to be printed, not requiring any further conversion for printing. The PDL data is formed by a printer driver of a client computer. The process for developing the PDL data to the RIP data may be executed by the server or by the MFP.
When another person is using the operation panel, the user generally waits to use the operation panel. When it becomes available, the user logs-in to the MFP, whereby the downloading of PDL data, development of PDL data to RIP data, and printing of the RIP data are executed. In such a situation, downloading of the PDL data starts only after the user logs-in to the MFP. Therefore, the user must wait for a long time in front of the MFP until the printing is done.
In view of such a problem, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-105937 (hereinafter referred to as “'937 Reference”) discloses an MFP that allows, while a user is logged-in to the MFP, reservation of a process (job) using the MFP by another user. Even while one user is logged-in to the MFP, the MFP can execute pre-processing of the reserved job. Job reservation is done by the user having an IC card recording user information read by an IC card reader of the MFP. This process is different from the process for log-in. The pre-processing includes processes of pull-printing such as downloading of print data and development of PDL data to RIP data, other than image formation.
With this MFP, even when one user is logged-in to the MFP, another user having an IC card can make a reservation of a job using the MFP. Before log-in of the said another user, pre-processing of the reserved job is done by the MFP. Therefore, the time necessary for the user who made the reservation to obtain the print output (print wait time) can be reduced.
The MFP, however, still has a room for improvement. Specifically, it is necessary to have the IC card reader of the MFP to read the IC card information for reservation.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-47765 (hereinafter referred to as “'765 Reference”) discloses a possible solution to this problem. '765 Reference discloses an MFP having an IC tag reader-writer, detecting whether or not a user is approaching. If there is an IC tag in a range of radio wave generated by the IC tag reader-writer, communication between the IC tag reader-writer and the IC tag becomes possible. As a result, the MFP can detect that the user having the IC tag is approaching the MFP.
By combining the MFP disclosed in '937 Reference with the MFP configuration (IC tag reader-writer) disclosed in '765 Reference, a configuration would be obtained in which an approaching user is automatically recognized by the MFP and reservation is made automatically. Even in such a configuration, printing cannot be started until the user logs-in. Therefore, the time until the user obtains the print output cannot be reduced.
The MFP disclosed in '937 Reference is based on the premise that a user who wishes to have print data stored in the server printed by the MFP comes to the intended MFP. A user who is unaware of any data to be printed or a user who forgets that there is some data to be printed may not go to the MFP. Even if such a user should come close to the MFP, he/she may not recognize the necessity to log-in to the MFP to print the data that should be printed. Therefore, even if data to be output is stored in the server, the data may not be output and left as it is.